This week, half a million kilograms of rocket fuel launch an Emirati high school student’s experiment into space, as part of the Genes in Space competition. The show features a clip from Alia Al Mansoori during the launch of the shuttle from the Kennedy Space Centre. Also, Joyce Karam tells host, Naser Al Wasmi, how the alt-right and neo-nazis in the United States have found a champion in Syrian dictator Bashaar Al Assad. Finally, Taimur Khan, our Gulf Correspondent, draws from both history and his family’s personal legacy as Pakistan turns 70 and tells us what the future holds for the dynamic country.

Beyond the Headlines is The National's weekly look at current affairs affection the Middle East and abroad.